3. On January 7, three masked men attacked the paper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing 12 (including two police officers) and wounding another 11. At the writing of this question, three terrorists have been killed and at least four hostages have died as well. There is still one alleged terrorist at large in the area outside of Paris. The magazine has been under fire in the past (literally and metaphorically) for its controversial depictions of Mohammad (the purported cause of Wednesday's attack). Should such free speech and freedom of the press (consider the US Constitution's 1st Amendment) always be protected? Are the depictions of Charlie Hebdo acceptable? Why or why not?
Being French I have very strong opinions about what happened in my country. Yes, I believe that such free speech and freedom of the press should always be protected. It is every human's right to write and say what they think about a special situation or religion or political figure (like Charlie Hebdo used to do). And yes, I strongly think that their caricatures were acceptable, because like they used to say "we are harsh but not mean". They were just expressing what other people were thinking but didn't have the guts to say it. Some religious people even said that they were not personally offended by the depictions of their religious figures... And anyways if it weren't Charlie Hebdo, somebody else would have drawn these types of caricatures.
ReplyDeleteI think that freedom of speech should always be protected in every single country. The right to say and think what you want seems like a natural right given to a human being along with thought and speech. As long as you are not physically hurting another human being or plastering offensive material all over someones home i think you have the right to write and say what pleases you. This was a small jab by a infamous paper in Paris that really shouldn't have been taken as seriously as it was. These men were not killing in the name of Islam because Islam does not condone the killing of another human being.
ReplyDeleteThere is a very famous quote that I like to abide by during situations like these:
ReplyDelete"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin.
It's a quote that I always think to myself whenever there is an incident in the news. So, yes, I do think that the freedom of speech should always be enforced. On top of that, I think parody, no matter what subject is being made fun of, should always be allowed.
Freedom of speech and respect are 2 extremely different concepts that the press did not follow. They published extremely offensive cartoons in their paper, which set the terrorists off. Yes, people should have the right to express their opinions about a situation or person, but there should be certain standards and circumstances that the press should have to follow, acknowledging respect. As for Charlie Hebdo, his depictions are not acceptable because they were overboard, meaning he added too much offense to his publications. Even though Hebdo revealed a high level of disrespect, the terrorists have no right to react the way they did. Hebdo's depictions aren't excuses to take the lives of innocent people; violence isn't the answer for anything.
ReplyDeleteThe depiction of the prophet in the magazine was really just trying to prove a point and poking fun at extremists of Islam in a humorous way. The fact that they got attacked and this tragedy happened only goes to prove the point they were trying to prove in the first place even further, that extremists take everything too far. The magazine should be allowed to publish just about whatever they want without ever having to moderate themselves because they might put their own lives at risk, it's a ridiculous notion to even consider. Basic human rights don't end where other peoples arbitrary beliefs start.
DeleteI believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are our rights that should never be taken away. These rights should always be protected by the law. If one has the rights I have just stated then the depictions of Charlie Hebdo are acceptable. Anyone should be able to express their views on any topic of their choosing and not be brutally murdered. My heart goes out to the people that have been affected by this horrible event.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone deserves to have freedom of speech and even though it might not always be a positive or upbeat tone it is within their rights. It crosses the line when things become physical and people get hurt physically because of something.
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ReplyDeleteI Think that everyone should respect the religions no matter what it is Islam, Catholic, Jewish or others, and should not make fun of others believe because its what the are and the trust. That's how everyone will respect each other. Also, by saying that "everyone should have freedom of speech" it also means that everyone can do what ever they want that makes it more difficult for other people to Live. As a Muslim i feel horrible when i hear that someone is murdered or someone is killed because its not in Islam to kill someone. Its terrible that they use name of Islam or other religion for killing people that they don't know whats going on in the World or between powerful governments. Killing is not the way for solving the problems it makes it worse that no one can even imagine.
Thank you
Personally, I have been hearing many discussions about what happened in France. The idea that matured in me is that it's true that everyone should have the freedom of speech and expression but according to me this freedom of speech or expression is fictitious. In reality they say you have this freedom but you can't really say or express yourself at 100%. Just think when the system censored what it isn't convenient for them, when in television a person can't really say whatever he or she wants about something but has to say just what the channels, supervised by the government, decide others should hear .However, what I think is that the freedom of speech or expression is acceptable at a certain point, until when it still respects the others. Of course killing people is the most outrageous action a person can commit, and there are no excuses for what they have done. On the other hand, everyone is different and we react differently to what happens around us. I'm Italian, so I am not really "supporting my part" , I just think that we all know about the tensions between the Western and the Eastern countries and if we want to live in peace we should respect more each other avoiding at least insulting our religion or race or whatever, because no one knows how a person can react at that insult and what can happen next. Everyone can decide what religion to follow, everyone is different from one another, everyone should be respected and should as well respect. We are no one to judge another person.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there shouldn't have any law limiting the freedom of the speech. Although, people should have responsibility at the things they say or do, otherwise things like this will happen. I am not saying that these terrorists were right, because killing is never an option, but the Charlie Hadbo editors do have a partial fault in this war as they often appeal to prejudice and racism. Thus, religion is not something to play with and we should respect them all.
ReplyDeleteEven though Charlie Hebdo did make comics about their prophet that doesn't give anyone the right to take away a life.Charlie Hebdo was just poking fun at extremists and although some might argue he might have taken it too far, no one should stop their job or get rid of an idea in fear of being killed, not when you live in a country with basic freedom of speech.In the end all the terrorists achieved was proving Charlie Hebdos point that extremists take things too far.
DeleteWhy do we have limits on free speech (making it not 100% free) as you all point out.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the freedom of speech and press are rights that should be protected but I also think it is a right that is abused. I do not agree with the content that was written in Charlie Hebdo but I certainly do not think that murder and violence was anywhere near to an appropriate response. I am offended by any matter that puts down another person, race, religion in a condescending or mean way. I think it is a right that people can say and write those things but I wish the world never had those thoughts in the first place. My ideals are different than everyone else's and I do not expect everyone to see the world as I do but I think that the content that was written about, should have never been written anywhere. I do not think content like this (even if in a comedic setting) should be something that society thinks is ok. It is understood that everything written can offend someone and I think that discussion about touchy subjects are necessary but I think they should be done properly.
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